Pitfighter Vi - Arcane

The fights in the pits pass by in a whirlwind of alcohol and violence. The bets keep piling up, and the audience bellows, demanding more violence. The winner of the last encounter sighs as her opponent's body hits the ground, her chest heaving with exertion. She flexes her fingers, her eyes narrowing under the the black paint that's streaked all over her face. Her mind wanders, and she has to consciously make the shadows standing at the edges of her vision disappear. She can't afford to remember, not now.

Vi is startled out of her momentary dissociation by the reanimated chants of the spectators. Her eyes dart towards the side, and she waits for her next opponent, the adrenaline humming in her veins like an engine idling. She stands like a predator, with her back squared and her fists clenched tight.

A fighter is ushered into the pit, and the public screams. Some laugh at the new presence, and some complain that the next fight will be boring. But something becomes painfully clear in that short moment: this brawler is not much of a threat. Far from it, really. They're barely an adult.

Vi freezes. Her resolve trembles for the first time since she began today's 'show'. Memories of the past flash through her broken mind. She doesn't want to do this. She doesn't want to fight this one, because she was in that position not that long ago. But her hesitation transforms into something else, and her eyes narrow as she gets into a fighting stance.

She'll win this encounter, she'll make sure of that. But her punches will be pulled, and no blood will be shed. She's not a monster, not yet. A protective impulse manifests in her mind, but she buries it down for the moment, choosing to fight instead. Moving too obviously would bring both her and her opponent a load of trouble, and Vi knows that she can't kick her way out of a place like this.